Rosie O’Donnell wrote letter of apology to Taoiseach for 'surreal' White House interaction about her

Olivia Kelleher

American actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell has said that she emailed a note of apology to Taoiseach Micheál Martin after her name was used as a “punchline” by President Donald Trump during a St Patrick’s day Oval Office meeting.

During Mr Martin's recent White House visit O’Donnell’s decision to move to Ireland from the US was raised by a reporter.

Mr Martin looked uncertain as to how to answer when asked : "Why in the world would you let Rosie O'Donnell move to Ireland? Mr Trump responded, saying: “You’re better off not knowing.”

In an interview on the Late Late Show on RTE One on Friday night Ms O’Donnell said that Trump first developed animosity towards her twenty years ago after she was critical of his character and business capabilities during an episode of an American panel show.

“I told the truth about him on a programme called ‘The View’ where it was my job to talk about pop culture and politics. I mentioned his bankruptcies and I mentioned all of the sexual assault charges, and I mentioned that he was not, in fact, the businessman that everyone thinks he is because of the show ‘The Apprentice.’

"They sold a bunch of lies (on that show) to America for over ten years and half of America believed it. He (Trump) was very angry to say the least and he hasn’t let it go. He uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need. He’s been doing it for two decades.”

Ms O’Donnell, who celebrated her 63rd birthday on Friday, said she felt ill at ease that the Taoiseach had been dragged into Trump’s ill feeling towards her and decided to write to him.

“I felt very troubled that they put the Taoiseach in that position and didn’t treat him with the respect that a leader of that kind deserves when they are visiting the White House.

"I wrote the Taoiseach a little note of apology to his email and I got a note back that they had received it and thanked me. I just wanted him to know the history and what happened and why he (Trump) seems to be out to get me in ways that are startling.”

Ms O’Donnell, who had Irish grandparents and first visited this country in 1973, said that when Trump was re elected she made the difficult decision to leave her native country during his second Presidential term.

She admitted that she was a bit of a home bird who didn’t really even leave the country to go on holiday so the decision to move to Ireland was momentous for her.

She said she the “gutting of all the social programmes” in the States under Project 25 was a source of much dismay to her and millions of other Americans.

“Just the other day he disbanded the Department of Education and I have a child that has autism and that child will be denied services and many, many autistic children because the funding for these programmes for special needs children comes from the federal Government as well as the States and it is going to be disastrous for children on the spectrum and that is terrifying.”

The New Yorker said that Trump has been given “ultimate power — the powers of a King” by the Supreme Court.

“That is not what the United States is all about and it is a terrifying prospect. In fact what has happened is that since he has taken office is terrifying for the world and definitely for the United States of America.”

She said a lot of Americans are “in shock” at what is happening to their country under President Trump. Ms O’Donnell admits that she doesn’t understand how anyone could support or vote for a “convicted felon and a man who has so many charges against him.”

“It’s heartbreaking to most people in America. They (his supporters) are slowly waking to realise that the cuts he is making are not only going to affect the left wing liberals who are woke that they are afraid of and despise.”

Ms O’Donnell said it was “very depressing” to see MMA fighter Conor McGregor making an appearance in the Oval Office last Monday for the St Patrick’s day festivities.

“It seems very strange to me that the President of the United States has so many friends who are sexual abusers.

"It says we are in trouble. To think that cruelty and lack of empathy is a value that is spouted from the highest office in the land is overwhelmingly sad to me personally and it felt way too much for me to take emotionally.”

Ms O’Donnell said that she was on the verge of crying when Trump was elected. She said she had stood up for “civil rights, gay rights and women’s rights” her whole career and part of her felt she should have stayed in the US to fight back against some of Trump’s policy decisions. However, she said ultimately she opted to move to Ireland for the sake of her autistic child Clay.

“That autistic child should not have to live in a place where our safety is compromised and where they have to worry about strangers coming up to us in stores and commenting on my opinion of Trump. His followers are sometimes as uncouth as he is. It is not fair to my daughter.

"I wanted to make sure that they would be calm and I would be calm enough to be their parent. Because that is what my child needs is Mom in control and calm.”

Ms O’Donnell moved to Ireland in mid January. In a Tik Tok video earlier this month she revealed that she is in the process of getting Irish citizenship.

She spoke of her intention to reside outside of the US until “it is safe, you know, for all citizens to have equal rights there, that’s when we will consider coming back.”

She told Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty that she is settling in well in Ireland.

She has been in contact with the autism charity ASIAm is taking part in the “Same Chance Walk for Autism on April 5th next. Further details can be obtained at asiam.ie